HBO sets ‘True Blood,’ ‘Newsroom’ premiere dates

HBO has announced or confirmed the premiere dates for its summer big guns, Aaron Sorkin’s new drama “The Newsroom” and the fifth season of “True Blood.”

“True Blood” will kick off its fifth season on Sunday, June 10 at 9 p.m. This will be the third straight June premiere for the vampire drama, which continues to star Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer and Alexander Skarsgard (among many others).

HBO unveiled the first official teaser for the new “True Blood” season over the weekend, but only announced a June premiere.

The first trailer for “The Newsroom” also premiered over the weekend and included its Sunday, June 24 premiere date, with its 10 p.m. time slot after “True Blood.”

“The Newsroom” stars Jeff Daniels as a cable news anchor fighting for his professional life. The ensemble also includes Emily Mortimer, John Gallagher, Jr., Alison Pill, Thomas Sadoski, Dev Patel, Olivia Munn, Sam Waterston and, as a special guest star, Jane Fonda.

The reason for the two-week separation between the drama premieres is simple: “True Blood” has a 12-episode order, while “The Newsroom” is only set for 10 episodes in its first season.